A Reflection

A Reflection

There is only one thing to do. Go into yourself. Examine your reason for writing. Discover whether it is rooted in the depths of your heart, and find out whether you would rather die than be forbidden to write. Above all, ask yourself in the stillest hour of the night, have I no choice but to write? Dig deep within for the truest answer, and if this answer is a strong and simple yes, then build your life upon this necessity. Your life henceforth, down to its most ordinary and insignificant moment, must prove and reveal this truth.

Rainer Maria Rilke

I have not shared a poem today, but these challenging words from Rilke. He speaks here of writing, but his words are equally valid for anyone seeking out their life’s work. Parker Palmer, in his book, Let Your Life Speak, says “Vocation at its deepest level is, ‘This is something I can’t not do, for reasons I’m unable to explain to anyone else and don’t fully understand myself but that are nonetheless compelling.”

So I am asking myself this question, “What is it that I can’t not do?” It’s a challenging process. (There are other questions I am asking too. I talk about those at Musings this week.)